10 of the Best, Most Charming Bookstores in the World
Updated: Oct 16, 2021
Have you ever visited a bookstore that was so cozy and comforting that you never wanted to leave? Check out the list of magical, charming bookstores. Some of the most beautiful bookstores in the world. You'll find everything from a sprawling, grand bookstore located in a former theater to a folksy bookstore run by a cat boss in Hawaii.
These are in random order because picking a favorite would just be wrong. Tell us which one you'd like to visit most in the comments below!
Octavia’s Bookshop
Gloucestershire, England
When you think of a magical bookshop, you probably think of something just like this... It could be straight out of a Harry Potter novel!
Octavia's Bookshop's iconic purple facade is so magical and cozy that you may recognize it from Pinterest or Instagram! They are self described as "an independent, nostalgic, magical bookshop that specialises in children’s books and great recommendations." Their mascot is a cute little hippo.
Visit them online:
https://www.octaviasbookshop.co.uk/
The Last Bookstore
Los Angeles, CA
Located in a one-hundred-year-old bank building, The Last Bookstore has large, vaulted ceilings and books as far as the eye can see. They’re the largest new and used bookstore in California. Aside from the books (I know, blasphemy!) they also have a record store, comic book store, 5 art studios, an epic yarn shop, a famous book tunnel, a mammoth head, and unexpected nooks and crannies of oddities. They also claim one of their bank vaults is haunted.
Photo Credit: Lex Voight
Photo Credit: @cloud_symmetry
Visit them online:
https://www.lastbookstorela.com/
Sweet Pickle Books
New York, NY
I had to include this place because it's just oozing millennial vibes. Please forgive me Gen Z. This oddball hole-in-the-wall bookstore sells pickles, which they claim are incredibly good. (Until we visit, the jury is out on the pickles.) They've also got a delightfully retro store window with gold lettering, a glass window with somewhat creepy dolls and an old television set.
While scrolling their Instagram, I was awash in the feels of the 90s and 00s with throwbacks from Matilda, All That, Sex and the City, and The Simpsons--all cleverly woven in with their bookish theme.
Photo Credit: Instagram: @oonaro_
Visit them online:
https://www.instagram.com/sweetpicklebooks/
Shakespeare & Company
Paris, France
“I created this bookstore like a man would write a novel, building each room like a chapter, and I like people to open the door the way they open a book, a book that leads into a magic world in their imaginations.” —George Whitman
Shakespeare & Company is an English language bookstore located right across from Notre Dame Cathedral.
Visit them online:
https://shakespeareandcompany.com/
https://www.instagram.com/shakespeareandcoparis/
El Ateneo Grand Splendid
Buenos Aires, Argentina
One of the most beautiful bookstores in the world! With over one million visitors a year! Et Ateneo Grand Splendid is inside of an ornate former theatre.
Photo Credit: Roberto Fiadone
Photo Credit: Above and Below, Liam Quinn
Visit them online: